Quenching My Writing Thirst

I felt like writing this evening, so I decided to flip through my iPhone camera roll to see if a pic would grab my attention and inspire me to write. So with that in mind, I began searching through a folder, and to my delight, a picture I took near the World Trade Center captured my imagination, and I was ready to get my creative writing juices flowing!

Now eager to find out where my thoughts would go, I rushed over to the elevator, pressed the up button, jumped on as soon as the double doors opened, and rode it up to the rooftop.

On the elevator ride up, I started mentally transporting myself back into that moment in the picture, followed by quickly organizing my thoughts. By the time I made it to the outdoor patio couch to lay down, I already had the experience framed up in my mind, so all I had to do was write. Let’s do it!

On a muggy Saturday morning, I was on my way to the World Trade Center Transporation Hub to catch the Path Train when I came upon the Oculus Beer Garden restaurant. Before today, I did not know this place existed, so it piqued my curiosity at first glance.

The closer and closer I got to this cool-looking place, the colorful imagery of the seating area, combined with the pointed spires beautifully positioned in the background, gave me a reason to pause. As a result, I just had to stop and take some pictures.

After snapping a few pics, I asked a guy dressed in red with a light blue mask on when this joint opened up? His response, “I have no idea.” You gotta love it! I then spotted a sign stating that the grand opening was back in April of this year, and then we both burst out laughing!

Since it was still pretty early, the place wasn’t open; however, I took a few minutes to review the menu and thought it was interesting. Without question, it seems like a cool place to have lunch or dinner, and I can only imagine what the scene must look like when the area is jam-packed.

Nevertheless, this joint is on my radar, and I will have to check it out in the future. Maybe you and I can eat here together during your next visit to NYC, and of course, I will take care of the bill. 😊

Well, that seven minutes went by pretty fast, but it quenched my writing thirst. So with that, it’s time to hop on the elevator and get back in the house—the end.

Have a lovely evening!

#nyc #mindfulness

 

Dinner with New Friends

I was standing on 9th Ave nonchalantly observing my surroundings while listening to a podcast, waiting for the traffic light to change so that I could cross the street. When I got the okay to walk signal, naturally, I began marching towards the other side of the road.

After taking three steps, 1-2-3, without warning, my left foot landed in an uneven section of the sidewalk, causing me to lose my balance. The next thing I knew, all of my body weight shifted forward rapidly, and I was headed straight towards the ground. Yikes!

Interestingly enough, I vividly recall processing what was happening during this moment as I tried to regain control of my balance or prepare to brace for impact!

Fortunately, I somehow recovered within 1.5 seconds and avoided hitting the pavement, a close call, for sure, but I did tweak my ankle. What's more, two women were walking right beside me as this drama unfolded, watching in horror the entire time.

Of course, I tried to play it cool as if nothing happened; however, when I resumed walking in a typical fashion, I made eye contact with one of the ladies, who asked me if I was okay.

I have to admit, the concern she showed was admirable, especially for a total stranger, and I thanked her kindly. We then had a pleasant exchange that concluded with two friendly smiles, and everyone kept it moving.

Funnily enough, we were all headed to the same eatery located near the bus stop in the photo to get a bite to eat, and I remember thinking, I hope they don't think I am following them now. Lol!

Upon arriving at the restaurant's main entrance simultaneously, I held the door open for them, and while waiting to be seated, I formally introduced myself. Seize the moment!

We had some more friendly banter, which led to us sitting together outside at one of the red umbrella tables on the cobblestone sidewalk. Then, we had a fascinating conversation about mindfulness, the beauty of living in the present moment, and the law of attraction. Love it!

So, in the end, I made two new friends, got invited to an upcoming professional networking event in SoHo, and departed grateful for another serendipitous experience. In other words, it was just another spontaneous evening adventure in Gotham City, followed by my customary five to ten minutes of writing about the encounter in my journal. 😊

Enjoy the present moment and your evening. Let's go!

#mindfulness #networking #nyc

 

New Headphones

I purchased a new pair of Bose Noise Cancelling (Over-Ear) Headphones yesterday afternoon, and of course, I wanted to put them to use right away to double-confirm that I made a wise choice.

To accomplish the abovementioned, I quickly jumped on the F-train to Central Park to find a cool area to listen to music and write in my journal. Also worth mentioning, I made it a point to identify a spot that I have not spent any meaningful time at, choosing to rely on my instincts to pick out the right place at the right time to fuel some creative thinking. Let's go!

After walking around Central Park for twenty minutes, searching and searching, while sweating bullets in the 95-degree temperature, I eventually spotted a bench nestled in between some trees, just below a statue that looked very enticing. Since it was secluded from foot traffic, I knew this was the perfect spot to land and rushed over to get set up!

After getting situated, I put on my brand new headphones and pressed the play button to my favorite instrumental playlist that I listen to when I want to engage in deep thinking, which also gets my creative writing juices activated.

Fifty-five seconds later, I began concentrating on the quality of the soothing sounds of the music entering into my ears, no doubt validating that I made a wise investment. I am now ready to sit back, relax, and intentionally appreciate nature and all that it has to offer at this moment. Let's do it!

With the music still softly playing in my ears, I looked up and noticed the beauty of the greenery in front of me, combined with a pretty blend of the sun and shadows reflecting off of the statue and the marble base it is resting on— picture-perfect!

Then, my attention shifted to admiring the beige skyscrapers in the background that were blending so nicely with the gorgeous clear blue sky.

Just as I was about to get lost in thought, I heard the sounds of a few birds chirping from behind, along with a city bus passing by on the street nearby. A few seconds later, like magic, I got lost in thought!

When I woke up, I spent the next nine minutes capturing this experience in my journal, which I felt compelled to share a snippet with you. 😊

Friends, there is so much beauty in front of us at all times. All you have to do is stop and look!

As an individual that has rushed through portions of my journey because I did not have the foresight to slow down and smell the roses, I share these post to convey the value of embracing the present moment. Moreover, it is truly a gift, and I encourage all of us to take advantage of this moment.

Please share your thoughts so that we can grow together, respectively. I look forward to engaging with you in the comments section and on my next post, which will be on Saturday at 11 am.

Have a fabulous week ahead. Let's go!

#mindfulness #motivation #inspire

 

The Pin Cushion

Like you, occasionally, I pass by something unexpectedly in the city, which piques my interest at first glance. Ironically, I happened to experience one of those instances bright and early this Saturday morning.

While strolling through the Garment District in perfect bliss, I stumbled upon an object located on the corner of 7th Avenue and 39th Street that made me come to a sudden stop!

You have to be thinking, what made Anthony stop? To answer your question, I spotted a gigantic bronze needle and button art sculpture with a floral arrangement around it, definitely not something you see every day.

So now, oozing with a healthy dose of curiosity, I walked right up to it so that I could get an up-close and personal view. Then, in the twinkling of an eye, I was standing just a few feet away, scrutinizing every inch of this massive plant sculpture from top to bottom, and side to side as I slowly moved around it.

With an extreme desire to learn more about it, I opened my smartphone internet browser and did a quick Google search to get info on this fascinating-looking piece of art. For those of you just as curious as I was, below is a summary of what I found out:

Floratorium (April 1, 2021 — July 31, 2021)

It is named Pin Cushion, created by Patricia Gonzalez and Carlos Franqui of Floratorium. Citing directly from the Garment District Alliance website, it has 50+ bales of curly willow, nine wisteria bales, and hundreds of faux hydrangeas poppies, greenery, and butterflies. New Yorkers and tourists are encouraged to stop by and visit the exhibit through the summer of 2021, and I am certainly glad I did.

After consuming this new information, I was in no hurry to leave, so I grabbed a cup of coffee from a street vendor, got comfy on the silver chair you can see on the lower right side of the pic, and started journaling!

I don't know about you, but I find sitting on a random corner in the city, once in a blue moon, focusing on the sights and sounds in the environment stimulating!

Okay, if you now take a moment to concentrate, you will hear the sound of my voice, whispering the words of this post in your ear, along with the lovely sounds of New York City blending nicely in the background.

Did you hear it?

Well, in the end, after embracing another spontaneous moment in the latest episode of Anthony Sledge's adventures gallivanting around the Big Apple, I walked away happy to learn about and see something new; and, more importantly, spending a few minutes with you. 😊

Have a fun weekend!

 

#nyc #mindfulness #motivation

 

Chelsea Market

On the way back home from Little Island this past Tuesday morning, I had to walk by Chelsea Market, which was literally across the street from the park. Given that it has been quite some time since I last strolled through this iconic building, I figured while on vacation, this would be a great time to poke my head in and see what's new!

As one might expect, foot traffic wasn't too heavy during this time of day, yet, there were still a decent amount of people getting some early shopping done.

Also worth mentioning, whenever I visit Chelsea Market, there's a Lobster joint near the 9th Avenue entrance that I usually stop in, and I was hoping it was open right now.

 

Then, a few seconds later, I was walking towards the restaurant, eventually landing at the area where it resides, and to my good fortune, it just opened 15 minutes ago at 11 am sharp—you gotta love it!

So, I hopped in line, ordered a Maine Lobster Roll, a bowl of Clam Chowder, and a bottle of sparkling lemon-lime water. When my food arrived, everything looked scrumptious, and as a result, I didn't know if I should take a bite of the Lobster Roll first or dive straight into the Clam Chowder. Lol!

Nevertheless, I sat at a corner table eating my lunch, enjoying every bit until it was all gone. Then, I went into a few stores and ended up picking up a couple of things before officially calling it a day—and that's the end of this story. 😊

Have a relaxing evening.

#nyc #mindfulness #motivation

 

Meditating at Night

Every so often, I like to change up my meditation routine by finding a quiet place outside to ponder, right after nightfall. So after looking out the living room window for a bit yesterday evening, admiring the night sky, it suddenly dawned on me that this was the perfect time to partake in this exercise.

Then, without hesitation, I started getting dressed in preparation to go outside. I quickly grabbed my bright orange jacket, threw it on, and headed straight for an area that I frequently visit during the early morning hours.

Just as I envisioned, not a single person was at the spot where I wanted to go. So I calmly sat down next to the light in the center of the pic attached to the gate. Next, I placed the right side of my body in the shadow area and then positioned the left side where the light was shining bright.

After sitting still for a minute, I began my meditation routine, slowly breathing in, followed by breathing out in a nice easy rhythm, all while listening to some smooth jazz music.

Before I knew it, I drifted into a peaceful state with my eyes shut tight, eventually getting lost in the moment. When I opened my eyes and glanced at my watch, I was shocked at the amount of time that had flown by; however, that was fine because I walked away feeling recharged and with a clear mind.

What's more, fresh ideas and solutions to a few things I've been mulling over this week popped in my head. So before they disappeared, I jotted them down on my phone and wrote this journal entry on the way back home. 😊

Have a lovely evening and enjoy the gift of the present moment!

#mindfulness #meditation

BTW - The skyscraper in the background is the Hudson Street 79-story condominium in Jersey City, the tallest building in New Jersey.